June 24 was the day that Egyptians were allowed to elect Mohammed Morsi as their nation’s first freely elected president. He won over Ahmed Shafiq by 900,000 votes, or 51.7 percent to 48 percent. Tens of thousands of supporters took over Tahrir Square for a celebration that lasted for days. Morsi is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and faces several uphill battles. First, he is a weak president who will have to wrestle with the military to get power. The military, led by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, dissolved the Egyptian Parliament and took power for itself. The military council continues to control Egypt. Tantawi congratulated the newly elected leader, but many fear that the military will not end its power grab. According to the New York Times, “The Muslim Brotherhood is the most powerful political force in Egypt. A religious and anti-colonialist movement that became the wellspring of Islamist ideologies around the world, the Brotherhood was outlawed but intermittently tolerated under Egypt’s longtime strongman, former President Hosni Mubarak.” Morsi has already indicated a willingness to open relations with Iran and the United States is glad to be free of Mubarak, who spent decades trying to run down the Muslim Brotherhood. But if the Egyptian Sunni Islamist factions joined with the Shiite theocracy of Iran, it would be a miracle. The new Egypt would be glad to get the U.S. out of influence but making some moves to get along with Iran gives opportunity for some terrible missteps. The U.S. is not happy with propping up middle Eastern nations who are not trustworthy when it comes to furthering peace and stability in the region. Morsi will have to refine his rhetoric because Egypt is still being financially propped up by the U.S. and is undergoing economic troubles. Too many Americans are willing to cut the lifeline. This attitude combines with an almost automatic hysteria over an organization like the Muslim Brotherhood taking power over a longtime friend of American interests in the region. Morsi also has to face secular and Coptic Egyptians who demand that he carry out the promises that he made in one speech, “I am intent with your help to build a new Egypt … a constitutional, democratic, and modern country. We Egyptians, Muslims, and Christians … are advocates of civilization and construction.” The truth is that the Muslim Brotherhood is an organization that is devoted to running the state with Islam as the overriding principle. Morsi has been preaching this attitude for most of his career. The resulting International upset and Obama administration support for Mubarak comes from this truism: “…critics of the Muslim Brotherhood — including both liberals and Islamists — charge that the group uses an all-encompassing view of Islam as a tool for political power…the group has embraced a single, take-it-or-leave-it vision.” As a result, Egyptians are still highly polarized and only 51% of them support a hard core Islamist government. The military still holds the reins of power and has not offered to give that power up. A Parliament that represents all Egyptians must be reestablished and empowered, or that money from the U.S. will dry up, especially if America feels betrayed by alignment with Iran and other troublesome nations. Category:Home › Other • Pomegranates: A newly discovered superfood • Where did the joke why did the chicken cross the road come from and why is it funny? • Can mothers diagnosed with bipolar disorder make good parents? • Spiritual evolution of human consciousness • Tips for getting a college basketball scholarship • Living with Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) • Caring for the caregiver • Technologys impact on society